A friend is preparing an Essay on International Child Abduction and am working on case study that pertains to the removal of three children from the United Kingdom to Ghana. Their mother is a British Citizen of Ghanaian descent and her husband is also a British Citizen of Ghanaian descent. Their three children (aged between 8-15) were born in the United Kingdom.

There was a custody battle in the United Kingdom and the court declared it an offence for the mother to leave the United Kingdom with the children. However, the mother ran away from the United Kingdom and took all three children with her to Ghana. Even though their British Passports were seized, the mother managed to get new British Passports for her children. The father did not know this at the time and before anyone knew what was happening, the children were in Ghana. The father cannot trace the children or their mother but he believes they are in Ghana.

The police are investigating the case and the mother has now been declared wanted. The police will arrest her on sight, if she returns to the United Kingdom.


I was given four options:

A- For the father to go to Ghana and try to find the children.

B - For the father to contact the police in order for them to get the Ghanaian police to arrest the mother and get the children back to the United Kingdom.

C - For the father to use the media and bring this case to the attention of the masses.

D - For the father to wait until the mother returns, if she ever does, to the United Kingdom.

I welcome any assistance you may be willing to offer and please forward your answer to Howard.Trevor76@gmail.com.

Anything that involves arresting the mother is not a good option.

He needs to give this some time, sort things out, appeal or negotiation with the mother on a joint custody agreement.